Never Again
by StokerGurl
Summary: Roy is trapped, he takes this time to remeber the good and the bad times. Please R&R!
1. In the Beginning

I do not own these men, wish I did, but I don't *sigh*

Authors Note: Hey Guys, This story is in progress. I plan to have many chapters. Hope you like! R&R! Ps, this might resemble _Ladder 49_….just a tad.

**Never Again **

**Chapter One **

Roy DeSoto woke to the sounds of water leaking and boards creaking. He had no memory of what had happened; all he remembered was the little girl that he had held in his arms.

_Did I pass her off? Is she buried? Is she even still alive? _Roy asked himself these heart wrenching questions. He tried to call out, but his voice had become hoarse. That is when he realized that his SCBA has slipped off in the apparent mayhem. He looked around; boards were coming and going from every direction. He tried to move, but seemed to be caught under the weight of the beams. He shifted an inch, and heard the horrible, gut tearing, sound of wood snapping. He felt more weight press on to him. He cried in pain that seemed to go through his whole back.

Roy lay still, trying with all his might to hear that noises of a coming rescue. He heard nothing. He gave up, thinking no one would come. He succumbed to his thoughts, his first were of his beautiful wife, JoAnne.

June, 1965

Roy DeSoto was a bachelor and wouldn't want it any other way. He had his "pad" and his beer. He also just got accepted into the Fire Academy. His life was perfect, or he thought so until the fateful day at the supermarket.

"Mmmm," Roy's brow furrowed, "I still need chips and soda."

He turned his cart down the aisle and just as he was turning the corner, he smacked right into another person's cart.

"Sorry…." Roy said, as he looked in to the face of a beautiful young girl.

"No problem, it happens." She smiled a smile that illuminated her face.

Roy was speechless, he had never been that good with the girls, but this one, this one was different.

"I'm JoAnne Green, by the way." She said.

"I'm…Roy….Roy DeSoto." He stuttered.

"Well, Roy DeSoto, it was nice meeting you." She said, as she turned to walk away.

"Nice, meeting you too…" He said, his voice getting smaller as she departed.

Roy turned his cart the other way and headed down the aisle, all thoughts of chips and soda gone. He went to purchase his things and as he put his final items on the belt, he felt his cart bump into him. He turned around to see who had caused the "accident." He smiled when he saw the culprit.

"Thought I would get one good shot in." JoAnne smiled.


	2. Happiness

Chapter Two

Roy coughed, sending a shot of pain throughout his entire back. He groaned aloud waiting for the spasms to stop. There was still no sign of a coming rescue, and he began to lose hope.

_They think I'm dead, that's why there are not coming. _Roy thought to himself.

Roy gathered up as much strength as he could so he could use his voice. When he finally spoke, his voice cracked and little sound came out.

_I'll never see her beautiful smile ever again. _Roy thought as a single tear ran down his cheek.

May 1966

Roy stood nervously at the end of the aisle. He looked around at all of his friends and family who were sitting neatly in the church pews. He fidgeted with his hands and feet, trying to keep his nerves down.

Suddenly, Music began to play and the doors at the end of the aisle opened to show a flower girl, holding a small basket. She was wearing a light purple dress that flowed when she walked. She made her way down the aisle, stopping every now and then to throw tiny petals on to the carpeted floor. She was followed by three sets of grooms men and bridesmaids. The men were clothed in black tuxedos and the women's dresses matched the flower girl's dress. They all looked flawless as they made their way to the front of the church.

Finally, the Bride entered.

Roy looked up to his JoAnne's radiant smile illuminating the entire room. He had never been so sure of something then that of the decision to marry JoAnne. She was perfection to him, with her bright beautiful hair, her calming eyes, and that smile, that took his breath away every time.

He took her hand and they faced the priest. The day they were married was the happiest day Roy could remember.

1 Year Later

Roy awoke to find JoAnne sitting on the side of their bed grasping her stomach. She was nine months pregnant and it seemed to Roy that the day had finally come. He sat up and took immediate action. He swiftly moved JoAnne and an overnight bag into the car and drove to Rampart General Hospital.

Two hours after the DeSoto's at arrived at Rampart Roy was told by a doctor that JoAnne would need a C-Section. Roy followed the gurney up to the OR, but decided it would be best to wait outside and let the doctors do their work.

He was asleep in the waiting room, when Doctor Tate finally came out to see him.

"Doctor Tate, how is she?" Roy asked.

"Fine, they both are just fine." He replied.

"What is it?" Roy asked hesitantly.

"It's a boy. A healthy and handsome baby boy."

Roy got tears in his eyes.

"I'm…I'm a father?" He asked to no one in particular. Suddenly, he felt woozy and had to sit back down. He stared off into the distance, trying to make sense of the last six hours.

Roy didn't realize how long it had been, but came to senses when he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Are you Roy DeSoto?" She asked.

"Yes, m'am. You are?"

"Dixie McCall. I believe you just became a father?" Dixie asked.

"Yes…I did." Roy still couldn't believe it.

"Well, do you want to go and see him?"

Roy hadn't thought about this part, the first meeting. What if his son didn't like him?

Dixie saw the concern in Roy's eyes.

"Mr. DeSoto, if I may, I have seen many new fathers pass through those doors all thinking the same thing, "What if my kid hates me?" but the answer is that your kid is gonna love you no matter what."

Roy looked up to the women and smiled. She was right.

"Why do I get the feeling you're _always _right?" Roy asked.

"Because I usually am, now come on." She smiled as she held out her hand.

Roy took it and she led him to the room where his wife and son were. He walked in quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping baby.

He looked at JoAnne, who looked beat but happy. She smiled up at him and motioned him to come over.

Roy walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at the bundle that JoAnne was holding. Inside was the cutest baby face Roy had ever seen. He gently touched his son's rosy cheek and a tear slid down his.

"Roy, I'd like to introduce you to Christopher Michael DeSoto, your son."

Roy now had many tears falling down his cheeks as he thought about some of the happiest times of his life. He was interrupted by a slight buzzing noise coming from under his head.

He lifted his arm as best he could and felt around for anything that could be making that noise.

He finally found it about three inches away from his head and pulled. It turned out the buzzing was coming from a radio and it was people talking. Roy listened hard to recognize voices.

"Roy….where…location….Repeat…whe…is…cation." the radio crackled.

Roy pressed the call button in hopes it would still work.

"Cap? It's Roy. I'm trapped under rubble and I don't know where I am." Roy said with all his might.

Johnny Gage looked up as he heard the radio finally say something back.

" 'Ap? It's Roy. …Trapped under rubble….where I am." It said.

Captain Stanley quickly pressed the call button.

"Roy? Are you ok?" he asked.

"No…" The radio stuttered.

Everyone's face fell as the news spread. Johnny Gage was the most affected. In the collapsed building in front of him was his best friend, who was hurt, and Johnny could do nothing for him.

He sat on the bumper of the squad as another transmission came through.

"Please…'Elp" Roy said.

"We're trying to Pal, just hold on." Captain Stanley said.

"K…" was the only response.


	3. Friendship in the Making

Authors Note- I will give major props to the person who gets the specifics of the date in the chapter. =D

Chapter 3

Roy drifted back into consciousness, though he wished he hadn't. His pain seemed to come from everywhere. He shed tears of pain that mixed with the tears he had shed when he thought of JoAnne.

The radio came to life and someone tried to communicate with Roy. He gathered up all the strength he had to put the mike near his mouth and push the call button.

"Hello?" He grunted.

"Roy…its Johnny. How…are…you?" The words were cracked and hard to hear.

"Johnny? I'm…I'm not too well. Pain is everywhere. I think…I think I've finally bought it." Roy said.

"Don't think like that Roy! You CAN'T give up; you have JoAnne and the Kids! And…" Johnny stopped suddenly; he hadn't realized how big a part Roy played in his life until now. Losing Roy wasn't even comprehendible to Johnny.

"Junior…" The radio crackled.

"Roy?"

"I'm…not gonna give up on JoAnne, the Kids, or our friendship." Roy said.

Johnny sank to his knees, letting the emotions he had pent up for the past 3 hours out. He just couldn't hold them in any longer.

"Roy, they're trying to find you. Do you know anything about where you were when the building collapsed?"

Johnny only got silence.

January 15, 1972

Roy DeSoto sat behind a huge oak desk looking down at his hands.

_Twenty applicants and only 8 signed on. _He thought to himself.

He left out a big sigh, today was the last day to sign up for the Paramedic program, and so far Roy had only got 11 firefighters to join. It was barely enough to fill a classroom.

He heard a rap on the door.

"Come in." Roy said.

A dark haired man stuck his head through the door.

"Are you the guy answering questions for the Paramedic program?" He asked.

"Yes I am. I'm Roy DeSoto."

"Hi, I'm John Gage."

"Well, Mr. Gage, do you have an application?"

"Yeah," John reached into a small briefcase he had carried in with him. He pulled out the needed form and handed it to Roy.

"It's not signed?" Roy asked, looking down at the incomplete document.

"Yeah, I had a couple questions first."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Are we actually gonna be able to help people, really?"

"Yes."

"So, once we get this training, they are gonna let us act on it?"

"Well…no. Not exactly." Roy said as he hung his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the law has to pass before we can act as Paramedics."

"Then why go through all this training now?"

"Because once we get the law passed we will need people out there, able to show the public how good the Paramedic Program is. "

"I don't know what If it just gets shot down and we did all this training for nothing?"

"Johnny, they _will_ pass the law, and we need to be ready when they do."

Johnny looked at the application and then back at Roy. He sat there, thoughtful for a moment and then asked,

"You gotta pen?"

Roy smiled and handed one to him.

Five Days Later

Johnny stood nervously in the waiting area of Rampart General Hospital. He had arrived early in hopes to talk to Roy. He was still uncertain if the Paramedic program was right for him.

"Johnny? You're early." Roy asked from behind him.

"Yeah, uh Roy, I don't know about this. What if…What if…" Johnny stammered.

"You're bad at this?"

"What? Oh, well yeah I guess."

"Johnny, that's why you are here, to learn and to hopefully use your knowledge in the field, To help people. "

"Yeah, I guess." Johnny smiled, feeling more confident.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Roy offered.

"DAMN IT!" Johnny yelled. He kicked the chair in front of him out of frustration. He paced and tried to calm himself, but it wasn't working.

"I'm never gonna get this, it's too much." He said aloud to himself. He was referring to starting IV's, which for the past hour, he had been practicing, but never got it right. The frustration built up to the point where, he had left the room, saying he quit as he left.

"It just takes time." Roy said as he walked into the room, hearing Johnny's remarks.

"No, Roy, you don't get it. I can't do it. Everyone else can but me!"

"Just be patient, it will come to you." Roy said trying to calm the younger man down.

"NO IT WON'T ROY!!" Johnny yelled, instantly sorry for behaving in such a manner.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so mad at myself." Johnny said.

"Don't be, it took me two hours a day for a week to get it." Roy confessed.

"Really, but you are so good at this, a natural."

"Not a natural, I just like the thought of being a Paramedic."

Johnny thought on this for a moment, and then looked up with a crooked smile on his face.

"I guess you're right." He said.

Johnny looked at the shiny new badge that was fastened to his shirt. Twenty minutes ago he had been given the title of Paramedic, and he really didn't know what to do with himself. He rubbed the gleaming metal with the end of his tie, glanced one more time into the mirror and went back to the little graduation party the hospital was holding in honor of the newly certified Paramedics.

"Hey, Junior, Where have you been?" Roy asked, using a nickname that Johnny had picked up through the duration of the class.

"Oh…nowhere, how's the party?" Johnny asked.

"Great, hey I talked to one of the chiefs, I'm being transferred to a new station, Station 51, and if you lucky, I'll request you for a partner."

Johnny smiled at the idea, he and Roy had become good friends, and Johnny had hoped that their paths would cross again.

"That's great!" Johnny replied.

Johnny had had enough; he wanted his best friend back. He started toward the collapsed building and only got a few feet when he felt a strong arm pull him backward.

"Hold on, there, Pal. You're not going in there." Captain Stanley said.

"But Cap! Roy has been in there for over an hour, and he is not responding to the radio! For all we know he could be…he could be…" Johnny collapsed to the ground mentally and physically exhausted.


	4. First Impressions

Authors Note: Sorry about the long update times! I'll try to get them up faster! Enjoy! Oh and a note, the first day scene is when Roy and John are already certified Paramedics and can act as them. They also are going through their first day as Paramedics AND at Station 51.

Chapter Four

Johnny awoke to find an oxygen mask covering his face, he tried to swipe it away but before he could, a hand reached up to swipe his away. He opened his eyes to see Mike Stoker leaning over him.

"Mike? What happened?"Johnny asked; a bit confused.

"You passed out; Cap wants the other Paramedics to check you out."Mike said.

Ignoring what Mike had said, Johnny sat up and began to get to his feet. He felt a little woozy, but he thought he would be alright.

"Has anything happened?"Johnny asked, referring to the search for Roy.

"I'm sorry Johnny, but no, Roy won't pick up his radio anymore." Mike said in a sullen voice, he knew that Johnny and Roy were the closest of the six men that worked Station 51's "A" shift, but Roy was like a brother to all of them, and no one could hide their feelings of sadness and helplessness as the search for Roy continued.

Roy couldn't bear it anymore, he wanted out. He knew that he couldn't last much longer just laying there. He looked around for anything to grab onto to help pull himself from the debris. Roy tried to reach out for something to anchor on, but the pain that emitted from his body was too much to handle. He screamed out in pure agony.

"Where the hell are they?!" Roy yelled out in frustration. Tears started to flood his eyes, he grew irritated at thought of his crew members not finding him and also himself for not being able to get himself out of this mess.

"Wait!" Brice yelled through his mask. "Did you hear that?"

Three firefighters turned in the direction that Brice had pointed out.

"Roy!" Brice yelled.

No answer, the firemen began to dig around the rubble again.

1972

Roy walked into Station 51, today was his first day at a new station and in a new rescue squad. He popped his head into the dayroom, where a lone man sat enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Got a more coffee?" Roy asked.

The man jumped from his chair, afraid that his new captain had walked in unannounced.

"Yes sir!" The man said.

"Relax, I'm not the captain. I'm Roy DeSoto, one of the Paramedics." Roy said.

The man sighed in relief.

"Hi, I'm Mike Stoker, the engineer." Mike said with a smile.

The men shook hands and Roy got a cup of coffee. Roy walked into the locker room and changed for his shift. He met the others as they arrived. There were five other men working at the station with Roy and their names were Captain Dick Hammer, Marco Lopez, Chet Kelly, Mike Stoker, and of course, John Gage.

The first role call was more of a meet and greet. Each man shared their rank and experience with the fire department and then assignments were given. Since there was ultimately no cleaning to do, there was a lot of down time, and the men took the time to get to know each other better.

Roy was worried about John, he didn't seem to be talking with the others very well and he was kind of stand offish. He decided to take him aside and ask what was wrong.

"I don't know Roy, I'm really nervous. This is my first station where I'm not a probie." John explained.

"Just relax, we are all nervous, but it's just first day jitters. Try talking to some of the guys, they are all really good guys." Roy assured his weary partner.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." Johnny said, with a trademark lopsided grin.

They turned to walk back into the dayroom when the klaxons went off. All the men jumped to their feet as they listened for their first call.

"Station 51, car accident with injuries, 167 Humble Drive, 167 Humble Drive, Time out 1143." The dispatcher announced.

Roy and Johnny ran to the squad and put on their helmets. The others ran to the engine and took their seats. Captain Hammer went to the radio box and acknowledged the call.

"Station 51, KMG365." He said as he wrote down the address. He gave a slip to Roy in the squad and ran over to the engine. Seconds later, they were on their way with lights and sirens blaring.

They arrived on scene and began the assessment of the accident. It was a two car wreck with one or two people in each car.

"Johnny, I'll take the red car, you take the blue one." Roy said.

"Got it!" Johnny said as he ran over to the blue car.

Roy ran over to the red car and saw a adult woman in her mid thirties slouched over her steering wheel.

"Miss? Can you hear me? Miss?" Roy asked.

The woman only made low grunting noises. He looked around the car and saw no one else. Then he looked over at the Captain.

"Hey Captain! I need c-collar, backboard, and a splint!" Roy said.

"You got it!" The Captain said.

"Johnny, what do you have?" Roy asked from across the scene.

"Not good Roy, I have a punctured jugular, and she isn't the only victim. I need some help."

Roy asked the Engine crew to call for additional squads and a couple of ambulances. Then he asked them to extract the woman out of her car while he helped Johnny.

When he arrived, Roy found Johnny hovering over a young teenage girl that was bleeding profusely from her neck. He looked over and saw a teenage boy sitting in the passenger seat.

"Hey! Hey! Can you hear me?" Roy asked the boy.

"Yeah I can hear you, How's Taylor?" He asked.

Johnny made eye contact with Roy and shook his head.

"We are doing everything we can for her, now where do you hurt?" Roy asked.

"Nowhere, I'm fine." The boy said.

"Are you sure? Can I take a look?"

"Sure, whatever."

Roy assessed the boy and determined that he should probably go to the hospital to get checked out.

"How's Taylor?" The boy asked again.

"She's already been freed from the wreck; I think she is on her way to the hospital." Roy said, looking out the window to see if he could see Johnny.

"Listen, I'm gonna leave you with this man so I can go see how the other victim his." Roy said, referring to Marco who had just walked up to relieve Roy.

When Roy reached the hospital, John met him at the door. They raced next to the woman's cot until she reached the treatment room. After they relieved from patient care, Roy and John made their way to the nurses' station.

"Hi, Ms. McCall." Johnny said, greeting the nurse.

"John Gage, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Dixie?"Dixie said.

"Sorry, Dixie." Johnny grinned.

"So how are you boys?" She asked.

"We're doing great, just had out first call out of 51." Roy said.

"Sounds exciting."

Roy and John both smiled and nodded, it was exciting.

Later that night, the crew at the Station settled into the dayroom, doing an assortment of things, but talking non-stop. They all had become fast friends, even Johnny had come out of his shell and was now talking to Chet about the last baseball game.

Roy looked up and smiled at his partner, who looked at him with a curious look. Roy was glad Johnny had become more open to the men; Roy knew he needed to if they were all going to be able to trust each other and to depend on each other when things got hairy.

Roy looked around; he could have swore he had heard something, maybe even a voice.

"Hello?" Roy tired to say as loud as he could.

"Hello!" He tried again.

Then he heard another voice, and then another one.

"Roy!" Brice yelled again, he heard another voice and stepped toward it.

"Come on Roy! Keep talking!" Brice yelled.

Brice looked around, desperately trying to hear the voice again, but he didn't. Little did he know that Roy had once again succumbed to the land of unconsciousness.


	5. The Bad Times

Authors Note: Sorry about the slow updates yet again. I just want to make sure the quality is good before I put it up. =D

Chapter Five

Johnny donned his mask, ready to make entry into the collapsed building. He knew what the risks were on entering the building, and they probably wouldn't have risked it for just anyone, but Roy was different, he was one of them and none of the firefighters were going to give up without trying.

Captain Stanley did not want Johnny to go in, but he knew there was no way he could keep the younger part of the Paramedic team at bay any longer.

"Johnny, now remember, if you get tired or overwhelmed, get out. We will finish the search." Cap said.

"Yeah, Cap I know." Johnny said, never taking his eyes of the building. Deep down, Johnny knew he would not leave the building until he found Roy.

Roy was losing it, the frustration in him started to build at an alarming rate. He had awoken to hear voices, yelling his name. He had made as much noise as he could, but the voices soon faded. Roy tried to lift his hands that felt like dumbbells, he also lifted his head, he screamed in pain, but kept moving. He looked down at his waste and saw what was keeping him pinned on the floor. A board was locked over his waist that was held down by cabinets on either side. Roy tried to grasp it and push it off, but he couldn't conjure up enough strength. He laid back and let his hands fall.

_This is it; I'm done _Roy thought.

Johnny and Roy sat in the Squad, not talking and not looking at each other. Johnny sat as far away as possible from Roy and he had his arms crossed against his chest. They had just had just dropped off a patient at the hospital, after a long horrible call.

They had responded to a car accident with multiple victims, more than Station 51 could handle. Backup was over thirty minutes away and the Paramedics decided to triage the victims the best they could. They made their way through the patients, giving them tags of priority. Johnny came upon a little girl, no more than 4 years old. She had blood all over her that was coming from an open chest wound. He checked for a pulse and found a faint one, but she wasn't breathing. He fixed her airway and checked again, she still wasn't breathing. He began to give her breaths artificially. He was busy working on her when Roy came over.

"Johnny?" He said.

"Yeah." Johnny said absentmindedly.

"You have to let her go." Roy said in a sad tone. He knew what he was doing to Johnny, but there were other patients that needed them.

"What? Roy what are you talking about! She has a pulse!" Johnny said.

"She's not breathing; her injury is too major to deal with in a triage situation." Roy explained.

"Screw triage! If I can just start a line, and get her some fluids, she might make it to the hospital." Johnny said.  
"Johnny, you can't start a line, because then you would have to leave with her in the ambulance, I need you here. Let her go." Roy said a bit more sternly.

"No!" Johnny exclaimed.

Roy grabbed his partners arm in attempt to make him get up. Johnny forcefully pulled back.

"Johnny! Listen to me! Let-her-go!" Roy said, grabbing Johnny's arm once again. Johnny stood this time and looked down at the little girl, he complexion soon turned blue from lack of oxygen.

"We could've saved her." Johnny said in a small voice, then turned and walked toward his next patient.

Roy felt horrible for what he had done. He knew he was right, but he sure didn't feel like it. He also knew Johnny needed time to think it through and make it right in his head. He would come around.

Two shifts later, Roy was worried; Johnny hadn't said a thing to him since the call. They still talked during calls, but at the station, he didn't say a word. Roy decided to break the ice in the locker room before there shift started.

"Johnny?"

"Yes?" Johnny said; his voice was a little cold.

"We need to talk about the run."

"I know, I know, I just can't Roy. After that call, all I could think about was the mother waking up in the hospital and being told her daughter was dead. Dead because we had too many patients and we couldn't stop and perform the very thing we are trained to do: save lives."

"Six patients out of seven were saved Johnny. You did a good job." Roy said.

"We should have saved all seven!"Johnny raised his voice.

"We couldn't save her in that situation, Johnny! She couldn't keep her airway and she was bleeding uncontrollably, we _had _to let her go. I'm sorry, but we did." Roy said.

Johnny thought for a minute and then his face softened.

"I'm sorry Roy. You are right. I just wanted to save her."

"I know you did Junior. I'm sorry you couldn't, we couldn't." Roy said.

Johnny stood and smiled, he would get over the call in time by himself, but the talk he and Roy had had made it a little better.

Roy looked at his partner, confident that things would return to normal shortly. He sighed in relief, now knowing what his partner had gone through. To tell the truth, Roy didn't know how he could've dealt with the situation, being the man to tear him away was bad, but being the one to cease life on the little girl topped everything.

Johnny turned the corner of, what use to be, a hallway. He had just entered the building and now started his search for Roy. He wanted to tear the place apart, looking under every board and beam, but his training and his gut told him not to. He walked down the hallway, looking at all the X's on the doors, showing that they had been checked and had found no one. Johnny fought the urge to bust down the door and search the rooms for his self; he had to trust the rescuer that had come before him to do a good job. At the end of the hallway, Johnny spotted a door that had yet to be checked. He opened it to a room that was almost fully collapsed. He looked around hopefully.

"Roy!" He yelled.

Roy's eyes sprang open. Had he really just heard someone? He listened again, hoping for another clue to the arrival of help.

"Roy!" the voice came again.

Roy recognized the voice immediately.

"Jo…Johnny!" Roy yelled as best he could. His voice had cracked and he wasn't sure how loud he was, or if he had made any noise at all. He listened again, every second that went by Roy's heart sunk lower and lower, and then…

"Roy! Don't worry! I found you!"


	6. In Sickness

Chapter Six

Roy opened his eyes again to the sound of his best friend.

"Jo…Johnny." Roy said; his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes filled with tears as Johnny's face came into view.

"Don't worry Roy, I'm here." Johnny reassured his partner. He looked around the room to make sure there was no immediate danger. He then took his radio from his turnout coat.

"HT 51 to Engine 51." Johnny spoke into the mike.

"Go ahead HT 51."

"Cap, I found him. He's in room 115 at the end of the first hall on the left. He is pinned under a board, I'll need the Jacks, a crowbar, and a stokes.

"Ten-Four, we are on our way."

Johnny looked back down at Roy who had shut his eyes again.

"Roy? Can you tell me what hurts?" Johnny asked.

Roy thought for a moment, he couldn't even feel his body anymore, he didn't know where to begin.

"Well…I…I…hurt kind of everywhere." Roy said.

"Okay, don't worry help is on the way." Johnny reassured again.

"Johnny…I'm…I'm a little scared here." Roy said.

Johnny had to bend down to hear what Roy was saying, his eyes softened as he heard his confession.

"It's gonna be alright. I'm here now, help is on the way." Johnny said, he looked back in to his partners' eyes, but they were closed.

"Roy?"

Johnny didn't get an answer, he shook Roy, but his eyes remained closed.

Roy looked around the hospital waiting room. He had been sitting there for over an hour waiting for results on Johnny. The past 7 hours had been hard on Roy and knew that it had just begun.

He sat in a chair, left alone to his own mind. He remembered that last time he had seen Johnny, it was at the Station, and they had just gotten off shift.

_I should've made him come here then _Roy silently berated himself.

He had noticed Johnny had not been himself that day and that his usual bouncy energy had been missing. Of course, Johnny had assured Roy that he was fine and just needed some sleep and that was what he was planning in getting as soon as he got home.

Roy had believed him because they had worked a non-stop shift, by then end of it, the whole crew desperately needed sleep.

Roy put his head in his hands; he blamed himself for not catching on quickly enough to Johnny's sickness.

When he had walked into Johnny's house a few hours before, he had not been expecting to find him, curled on the floor, grimacing in pain and trying his hardest to catch his breath. Roy had immediately called for a squad. By the time they arrived, Johnny had gone unconscious and was barely breathing. He was rushed to the hospital and all Roy could do was watch, he had never felt so helpless.

He now sat in the waiting room staring at the door that hid Johnny and the doctors and nurses that were now working on them. He wanted so bad to use his Paramedic privileges to walk into the room and at least see what was going on, but he didn't, he knew he would do more harm than good.

An hour passed and Roy never looked away from the door. Nurses had come in and out, and he had seen glimpse of the figure that was lying on the table, but nothing too concrete. He felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up he saw his Captain's face, behind him the rest of the crew stood, all of them looked grim and uncertain about what was to come.

"Hey, who…?" Roy suddenly felt guilty; he had forgotten to call the rest of the crew when he got to Rampart.

"Don't worry Pal, Nurse McCall called us, she's worried about you to you know." Cap explained.

"Why is she worried about me?" Roy asked.

"She said that you have been sitting here for three hours, she said that you needed someone. So we came for you and for Johnny."

"Johnny needs all the support right now." Roy said sullenly.

"And he will get it, do you know anything?" Cap asked.

"Just what happened when I got to his house, he was in pain, and having difficulty breathing. He went unconscious before the Paramedics arrived. I haven't heard anything more."

"Do you think it could have something to do with how he was feeling last shift?"

Roy casted his eyes down, another pang of guilt hit him. "Probably." Roy said in a whisper.

"Hey Roy, you don't blame yourself right?" Mike Stoker spoke up.

"Well, it kind of is my fault. I noticed the difference in him last shift, and I should have made him go in, but I didn't. I didn't even go to check on him until it was too late." Rou hung his head.

"Johnny is a big boy, and I'm sure we all know how he feels about going to the doctor, he wouldn't have gone and you know it. It's not your fault." Cap said.

The men hung around the waiting room until, finally, the door to the treatment room opened. Doctor Brackett stepped out with Dixie behind him. They spotted the five men and walked toward them.

"Doc?" Roy asked tentatively.

"He is stable, but he has a bad case of pneumonia. We put him on a respirator to give his lungs a break. We are gonna move him to the ICU for now, just to keep a close eye on him." Doctor Brackett explained, jumping to the point.

"Thanks Doc, Can we…?" Cap began to ask, but Roy was already up and moving toward the treatment room that held his best friend.

Roy opened the door and looked down at the bed. He walked over and gently touched Johnny's arm. Johnny looked pale a he was sweating slightly due to fever.

"Hey Junior, you really had me scared there." Roy said.

"You know, you really should've told me, or at least gone to the doctor." Roy scolded slightly. Roy moved a chair over and sat beside the bed. He laid his arm over Johnny's and for the next three days he barely moved.

Roy was sleeping soundly in the chair next to Johnny's bed. Today was the day he would finally get off the ventilator and hopefully wake up. Doctor Brackett came and did a assessment on John, he looked over at Roy who was snoring softly in the chair across from him.

"Roy?" He said, trying not to startle the man.

When he didn't get an answer, he tried a little louder.

"Roy?" He said.

Roy jumped when he heard his name, but then relaxed when he saw the Doctor.

"Hey, Doc. How is he?" Roy asked sleepily.

"Doing well, Dixie is gonna be here in a minute and we are gonna take the tube out. He should wake up in a couple of hours."

"That's great!" Roy said.

Dixie came in and they started the procedure. Roy had to leave the room, so he took the time to call his friends and tell him them the great news. They all planned on coming in a little while to see Johnny.

Minutes later, Roy returned to Johnny's side, he half expected to see Johnny's eyes flutter open and him to begin to talk like nothing had happened, but he just laid there, looking more like he was asleep then in a coma.

Several hours later, Johnny had not woken up. The doctors said that it can take awhile for the brain to realize that it can wake up, but when it does he should come around. All the men from Station 51 came to pay a visit, some stayed hours and talked with Roy and others just popped in to say hi. The men that stayed the longest were the men from A-shift, they wanted to be there when there fallen member came around, but it didn't seem like Johnny was planning on it anytime soon.

Roy fell asleep in his chair around midnight, the nurses and doctors let him stay because they knew about the bond between the two men, plus Doctor Brackett had taken Johnny as a patient, and since he was friends with both of them, he let Roy stay.

Around Three Thirty in the morning Roy heard a faint noise. He awoke a looked around the room, when he didn't hear it again, he closed his eyes. Not two minutes later, he heard it again. He sprang to his feet and went over to the bed.

"Johnny?" He asked.

"Roy?" Johnny asked, his voice cracked and hoarse.

"Welcome back." Roy said as he pushed the call button on the wall.

"Good to be back." Johnny said as a famous Gage grin made its way across his face.

Doctor Brackett and Dixie came in and did an assessment of their now conscious patient. They talked for awhile and then left the room, making both men promise they would get some rest.

"I'll call the guys in the morning, they'll be happy to know you are awake." Roy said.

"How long have I been here?" Johnny asked.

"'Bout four days." Roy replied.

"That's not too bad, bet I had Brackett and Dixie worried." Johnny joked.

"You had us all worried, Junior. Never do that again." Roy said, more serious.

"Never get pneumonia again? Roy, I know I'm good, but I'm not that good." John joked again.

"You know what I mean Junior." Roy said.  
"Yeah Pally, I know, I know." Johnny said.

Johnny tried to wake his partner, but had no luck. The rescue equipment arrived and he forced himself away from his partner so he could help remove him from the rubble. They took the jacks and lifted the board up and off of Roy. Once free they moved him over to the stokes and took him out of the wreckage.

Johnny bent down over his partner and started his assessment, he felt for a pulse, but didn't get one.

"Cap! I need some help! Roy doesn't have a pulse!" Johnny yelled.

Authors Note: Hahaha another cliffhanger =D


	7. Support System

Chapter Seven 

Cap ran over to Johnny, he looked down at his friend who now had a bluish tint around his mouth. Johnny had started CPR and had another Paramedic prepare the paddles. They put the paddles to Roy's now bare chest to get a reading.

"V-Fib!" Johnny said after studying the monitor for mere seconds.

"Charging to four hundred," The other paramedic said, "1…2…3…4 Clear?"

"Clear!" Johnny said as he pushed the buttons, sending an electric shock straight through Roy's heart.

Johnny looked at the monitor and sighed in relief, Roy was in a regular slow rhythm.

"Let's go! Get him in the ambulance, I'll contact Rampart." Johnny ordered.

Captain Stanley stood over the entire scene as it played through, he felt useless because he had no medical knowledge and was glad Johnny had been able to take over the scene. He also felt scared, scared that he could lose a part of his team, a team that had grown so close over the last five years that they considered each other family.

As he watched Johnny climb in the ambulance behind the stretcher, he couldn't help but think about the men he worked with. He thought of their good sides, bad sides, and little quirks that made each of them unique. Losing one of them just wasn't comprehendible to Captain Stanley; he had worked too hard to lose them now.

Johnny rolled over in his bed and looked at his clock.

"2:30? What the hell!?" He said to himself.

He reached for the phone that was ringing beside his bed. He was angry for the rude disruption, but also worried, no one would call him this late unless something was wrong.

" 'ello?" Johnny said into the receiver.

"John? It's Roy." Roy said on the other end of the line.

Johnny sat straight up when he heard the worried tone in Roy's voice.

"Roy? What's the matter?" Johnny asked; he was now fully awake.

"It's Cap, his…his wife…his wife left him." Roy said; his voice full with emotion.

"Where are you?" Johnny asked.

"His house, I called the rest of the guys and they are on their way."

"I'm on my way." Johnny said and then hung up the phone.

Twenty minutes later, Johnny pulled up behind Mike Stoker's truck and hopped out. Behind him, Marco Lopez pulled up beside the curb, Johnny waited and they walked to the porch together.

They knocked on the door. Roy opened it and let the men in; they stood in the foyer and greeted each other.

"How is he?" Marco asked.

"Not too well, this was a huge surprise; I think he is still in shock." Roy replied.

"What about the kids?" Johnny asked, his heart sinking because he felt like he already knew the answer.

Roy just shook his head.

"Mike's in there now, we're trying to get him to tell us what happened, but all he has said is that she left and took the kids." Roy added.

They heard a knock on the door. Johnny opened it to show Chet, he looked like he had rolled out of bed and came straight here. They caught him up on the news and headed in to the living room as a group.

When they entered, they saw Mike with his arm around Captain Stanley. They had never seen anyone look as defeated as he did now. Once a strong confident leader, he now looked like a ghostly corpse. He looked down at his feet and barely acknowledged the men when they entered.

"Cap?" Johnny said.

Captain Stanley looked up and seemed to realize, for the first time, who was there. He mustered up whatever voice he had.

"Boys, what are you doing here?" He asked in a small uncharacteristic voice.

"Roy called us, we are here to help." Chet said.

"I'm fine, just fine. Look at the time, its 3:00 in the morning! Go home!" He said.

"Sorry, we can't do that amigo." Marco said.

Captain Stanley looked defeated, he put his eyes back on his feet and said, "Well, if you are gonna stay, at least grab a beer."

The men smiled at each other, it might not be so bad after all. They all grabbed a beer and sat down, surrounding their Captain.

"Now listen, I _don't _want to talk about it. So if you're gonna stay, let's talk about something else." Stanley said.

"Okay, well…the weather today was…" Chet began.

"NO!" Five men said in union.

"Sorry, just trying to start a conversation." Chet said.

Johnny stood and turned on the small radio that stood near the wall in the room.

"Well, music can't hurt." He smiled a patented Gage Grin.

They listened for a few moments and then heard an advertisement for the fire department.

"_Have you ever wanted to help people and the community? Ever wanted to know what it felt like to ride a fire engine responding to a call? Now is your chance, the Los Angeles County Fire Department needs brave young men and woman to join, become a firefighter or a firefighter-paramedic for the LA County Fire Department. Applications are now being accepted."_

The men looked at each other and grinned.

_What a corny advertisement._ They all thought.

"Hey Roy. Why'd you become a firefighter?" Johnny asked.

"Gee…I don't know, I like to help people and I feel great doing it. No one in my family ever thought of doing something as "hands on" as firefighting, they all work in offices 9-5. I guess I heard an ad just like that one and decided to give it a try." Roy said.

"What about you?" He asked Johnny.

"I guess I kind of always knew I wanted to be one. When I first got off the reservation I was staying in a tiny apartment building when the building across the street caught fire. I remember watching the men put it out and thinking, "Hey I could do something like that," soon after, I moved to LA and put my application in." He said.

After a moment, Johnny looked around.

"Marco? What's your story?" Johnny asked.

"Me Amigo? Well, my story is a lot like yours, but not so happy. See, my house caught fire when I was seven. My Brother and I made it out okay, but my mom was stuck in the back room. The firefighters tried there hardest to get to her, but by the time they did…it was too late. After that, I hated firefighters, I blamed them for her death, but one day about six months after the fire one of the crews that was first on scene visited me and my brother. They told us about the fire and why they couldn't reach her, and they answered all of our questions. When they left, they gave us a card with all of their numbers on it, they said we could call of we ever needed anything. That's when I stopped hating firefighters and started wanting to become one." Marco's eyes became watery as he told his story, but smiled at the end.

"I'm sorry man, I never knew." Johnny said.

Five minutes passed as they all took in Marco's heartbreaking story.

"Chet?" Marco asked, breaking the ice.

"Yeah? Oh…well, me and a bunch of friends decided to go in on it together. We thought of it as an adventure. I never planned on making it my career. I was the only one that made it through the academy, most of them dropped out because they hated PT. The day I got my badge was a day like no other. I was proud of myself and I knew my parents were too. They were in the audience when I graduated; my dad had tears in his eyes. I think they were happy I made something out of myself."

"That's good that your family supports, my sure don't." Mike said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Chet asked.

"I don't know, when I told them I wanted to be a firefighter they laughed because they thought I was joking. When I told them I was serious they got angry. They said I was a disgrace to the family and that no Stoker should do a "blue collar" job. They also told me that I would be dead within a year. I joined anyways; I got through the academy alright, but never had their support. They didn't even show up for graduation. They barely even talk to me anymore…but you know what? Let them be ignorant. I love my job, I get to help people and it makes me feel good. If they don't see that, then forget them." Mike said, finishing strongly.

"Wow, I'm sorry they don't support you man, that's rough." Johnny said.

The rest of the men apologized, but Mike shook his head.

"I've made peace with it; life in fire department is a lot better than life with my parents." He said.

They looked around; all of them had shared their story except for Captain Stanley, who was now staring intently at the lamp on the table beside him.

"Cap?" Roy asked.

"Yes?"

"What about you?"

The Captain sighed deeply.

"Well, I come from a long line of firefighters. My Dad, My Uncle, My Grandfather and his father all were firefighters. I guess you could say it was in the cards for me. I remember the first day of the academy, I was so awkward around the equipment, and when we had a real fire I ended up getting burned. I was about to drop out when one of my Captain's pulled me aside and told me to relax and stop acting like I had something to live up too. When I did that, I got a lot better; I even graduated third in my class. I'm glad I stick with it, I love my job and I can't picture myself doing anything else." He smiled, a small, barely unrecognizable smile, but it was there.

For the rest of the evening, the men talked and Cap finally opened up about his wife. They all listened intently, and gave him advice and comfort.

After that night there was a definite change in the men of Station 51, they seemed closer and they talked more on a personal level. They became more of a family then coworkers, even Chet and Johnny seemed to act more like brothers.

Captain Stanley divorced his wife, but with the added support of his friends he got through the whole ordeal a lot better than he would have without them.

Cap watched as the ambulance started to drive away from the scene.

"Kelly! Drive the squad in! We'll follow you once we get this mess cleaned up. I'll call headquarters and tell them we will be out of service at the hospital." Cap didn't care that he was putting them out of service for such a long time, his friends needed him more.

Kelly turned around and almost sprinted to the squad, he had never wanted to get to the hospital as fast as he did now.

Meanwhile, in the ambulance, Johnny looked down at his best friend. Beads of sweat were shining on Roy's forehead. Johnny took the time to look over Roy's body.

He frowned slightly at what he found; A broken arm, probable broken ribs, broken clavicle, broken femur, and a broken ankle. He had numerous lacerations, bruising almost covering his entire torso, and a huge hematoma on his head. His BP had started to fall and his pulse began to rise. It wasn't looking good at all.

Roy hadn't regained consciousness at all, but Johnny didn't care. He leaned down and started to talk softly.

"Roy, I know you can hear me so listen up. Don't give up just yet, I know it hurts and I know you're scared but I know you can make it through. You're the strongest person I know, and to tell you the truth, I don't know if I could last that long without you. You keep me grounded and safe, I need you to come back. I don't think you're done with life just yet, so come back….Please." Johnny pleaded.

He looked outside the window of the moving ambulance.

"Five minutes until we're at the hospital Pally, I know you can make it." Johnny announced.

Authors Note: Happy Thanksgiving!


	8. Best Man

Chapter Eight 

Roy felt himself be jostled around and he heard the siren blaring around him. His mind was finally at rest, knowing that he was safe and getting taken care of. He felt Johnny's presence and desperately wanted to open his eyes.

When Johnny started telling Roy how much he was needed and how he couldn't die now, all Roy wanted to do was wake up and tell Johnny everything would be okay, but for some reason something held him back from opening his eyes, something kept him in a deep coma. Roy tried his hardest to awaken but he just didn't have the strength.

His mind finally started to drift off and the outside noises became muffled before completely disappearing.

Roy was astonished; his partner had never talked to him like that. What had started out as normal conversation turned into a yelling match between the two partners. He sat down on the bench and replayed the conversation in his head.

"_Hey John, how was your day off?" Roy asked his partner. _

"_Horrible." Was the only thing Johnny said. _

"_What happened? Get dumped again?" Roy joked._

"_As a matter a fact, yeah I did." Johnny said. _

_Roy, feeling the tension, backed down from the jokes._

"_What happened?" He asked._

"_She said I was too cocky and immature." _

"_Well, she's better off. You'll find someone new." Roy said._

"_You don't get it Roy! You never do!" Johnny said, his voice rising. _

"_What don't I get?!" _

"_She could've been…ya know, the one!" _

"_Did you really think that?" _

"_Why can't I think that?! Maybe I'm ready to settle!" _

"_You can think that, I just didn't think you would." Roy said, trying to keep his partner calm._

"_See! I knew you wouldn't understand!" Johnny said as he stood and raced out of the locker room. _

Roy felt horrible; he knew it was his fault, and that he had hurt Johnny's feelings. He stood and went to find his partner.

Roy searched the entire station looking for his partner but could not find him. He finally went to the Captain.

"I don't know where he is, check outside." Captain Stanley suggested to him.

Roy thanked him and went outside; he looked around and finally found his wayward partner. He was leaning against Mike's car, looking down with his hands in his pockets.

"Johnny?" Roy said as he got closer.

"What Roy? Wanna tell me how I'll be the worst husband and father ever? How 'bout you tell me about how crazy I am to think that I can make a marriage work when I can't even hold onto a girl for more than a month? Huh?" Johnny said.

"Junior, I didn't mean it like that. I really didn't mean to make fun of you; you just surprised me is all." Roy said.

"Is it really so surprising? I mean I really do want to get married one day, and I don't know, maybe I would want kids too."

"That's great; I didn't know you were starting to think about it"

"Yeah, it's kinda a nice thought, someone to call home, ya know? Plus, I see you and JoAnne all the time and you guys are so happy, I want that."

"Yeah? Well then, I'm sure any girl would be lucky to call herself Mrs. John Gage."

"You really think so?"

"You know it Junior." Roy smiled.

Johnny returned the smile; they turned to walk back into the station when Johnny stopped them.

"Roy?"

"Yeah John?"

"Would you be my best man?"

"Sure Junior, but let's find a girl first."

Johnny smiled again, "Okay Pally."

Johnny sat in the back of the ambulance checking Roy's vitals over and over. He also kept looking out the windows to see how far away from the hospital they were.

They finally arrived five minutes later; Johnny jumped out the back of the ambulance and pulled the stretcher out. Dixie directed him to Treatment Room 3 and when he arrived he found Doctor Brackett and Doctor Early waiting for them.

"How is he Johnny?" Doctor Brackett asked.

"He's been in and out of consciousness, his stomach is rigid, and he had multiple fractures, last time I checked his vitals were pulse 88, respirations 12, and BP 90/60." Johnny said.

"Okay, he's losing fluids, start another IV and alert a surgical team, he needs surgery immediately. Get X-ray in here also!" Doctor Brackett ordered.

Johnny walked to the head of the bed, Roy eyes had started to flutter open.

"Roy its okay, you're at the hospital. Just keep fighting." Johnny said.

Roy eyes fluttered once more, but they didn't open. Johnny fought back tears, but he lost it when a single tear made its way down his cheek.

Johnny turned from his friend and headed for the door, he barely made it out the door when he let the tears flow, hours of pent up stress flooded from his body as he collapsed against a wall, finally settling on the floor across from Roy's room.

___

Roy could hear his surroundings again, he heard the doctors and the nurses fiddling around him, he wanted to know where his partner was but he couldn't hear him. He tried to open his eyes, but the blackness still had a hold on him. He finally heard his partner tell him he was at the hospital and to just keep fighting.

Roy wanted to tell his partner that he would try; he would fight the blackness until it consumed him, and just like that, he was gone again.


	9. Never Again

Chapter Nine

I never knew how hard it was to be on the other end of a crisis, usually I'm the one that's helping out and saving the people that end up in this hospital. Today was different though, I sat in the waiting room looking at the door that hid my best friend and the team of doctors and nurses that was trying to keep him alive. I look around and I see a mixture of people, some are sad and teary eyed, some are more worried than others, and there are a few that are happy, smiling. Maybe they're the people that got to see life begin today instead of watching it slowly fade away. I wanted to be on their side, to be happy instead of sitting here, waiting for the horrible news that Roy had died. Of course, I had no idea, Roy could be doing better already, but I should know better, with those kinds of injuries, I shouldn't be getting my hopes up. So until I hear something, I'll sit and watch, and try my hardest not to let my thoughts get the best of me.

Roy sat in a dark room, he had no idea where he was, he just knew he was sitting in a chair, and there was dim light, but not enough to make out anything.

"Hello?" He said aloud, not really expecting an answer. He jumped when he got one.

"Hello, Roy DeSoto." Came a girl's voice through the darkness.

"Who are you?"

"You don't remember me?" The girl said as she stepped into the light, Roy gasped as he realized who she was.

"You're the little girl from the fire."

"Yes I am, and you're the firefighter who tried to save me."

"Tried? Do you mean… you died?"

"Yes."

Roy's face fell; he had tried so hard…

"Am I dead too?" Roy asked, dreading the answer.

"No, not yet."

"Not yet?"

"You are very close to death Roy, but there is something still holding on to you. Something is not letting you die."

"_You keep me grounded and safe, I need you to come back. I don't think you're done with life just yet"_ Roy shed a tear as he remembered what Johnny had said.

"Johnny, JoAnne, the kids, the guys, they all want me to live, they don't believe I'm done with life yet." Roy blurted out.

"They're right; you aren't done with life yet."

"Then why am I here?"

"To make sure you can handle living again, this experience will change your life forever."

"Like how?"

"You will be filled with guilt for losing me and everyone around you will understand at first, but then it will start to affect your job, then your marriage, then finally, your friendships."

Roy looked down, he loved his job, his wife, and his friends and he didn't want to lose them.

"Is there any other way?"

"Yes, that is why you are here, I am here to tell you to move on, yes you can be upset for a little bit, but Roy don't let it ruin your life, your life means a lot to many people. If you live, but can't get over this experience, your life will be miserable and you will have wished you had died, but if you can get through it, if you can let it go, life will be very fulfilling for you."

"How do I get over it?"

"Accept the fact that no matter what you did, I would've died that day."

"But I could've…"

"Roy, please."

"Yeah…you're right."

"Okay, you can go back now, enjoy life." The little girl said with a smile.

"I will, and…I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be, but I really wish I could've done something."

"I know, but it was my time."

Roy smiled at her one last time, and then all of a sudden he was alone again, in complete darkness. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, his body soon turned lightweight and his mind was floating in the darkness again.

Johnny sat in Doctor Brackett's office along with JoAnne and Captain Stanley. JoAnne sat quietly; she hadn't said a word since she had arrived. Captain Stanley sat worried with his head in his hands. Johnny sat staring across the empty desk, lost in thought. All three of them jumped when the door opened behind them. Johnny looked around to see Doctor Brackett walk in, he looked tired and worry lines creased his face. He came around his desk and sat down.

Without wasting time, the Doctor jumped right into explanations.

"Roy just finished in surgery. We fixed all his internal bleeding and set a couple of his broken bones. In recovery, they are gonna cast his breaks. He is on the ventilator right now to give his body a chance to recover, and we will also keep him in a coma for a couple days. It's my opinion Roy should recover completely."

JoAnne let out a gasp and tears started to flow, she stood up and left the room so she could get a hold of herself. Johnny and the Captain looked at each other.

"I'll go make sure she is okay." Captain Stanley said as he got up and left the room.

Johnny looked at the Doctor, "Will there be any…lasting effects?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, most of his breaks we pretty clean, but we're not sure how hard he hit his head. It's probably just concussion, but we can't be sure until he wakes up."

"_Doctor Brackett, Treatment Room 4, STAT"_ The overhead blared.

"I'll talk to you later John." He said as he raised from his chair.

Johnny just nodded as he watched Brackett leave.

When he was alone, Johnny relaxed, for the most part, Roy was alive and he was gonna recover, that's all that mattered.

One week later, Johnny sat by Roy's bed, more or less asleep. The hospital staff had let him stay past visiting hours and he had rarely left Roy's side. JoAnne and they guy's frequently came by to visit Roy and to check on Johnny, they were all worried that he would not take care of himself while Roy was in a coma. Dixie had made sure meals were sent up and she personally made sure they got eaten, much to Johnny's dismay.

It was around midnight when Johnny woke up; he had heard something stir in the almost silent room. He turned on the overhead light and looked down at Roy.

"Roy?" He asked.

Roy heard his friend call his name, but he wasn't sure if he could wake up. Tonight had been the first night in what felt like months since he could hear what was going on around him. He tried to open his eyes, and only saw a sliver of light before they closed again.

"Roy, come on, it's me Johnny." Roy heard his friend say.

He tried a bit harder and this time is eyes opened all the way. He even focused on Johnny's worried face hovering over him before they slammed shut.

"That's it, can you hear me?"

Roy tried to get up the strength to answer him. He breathed in and tried to form the word "yes."

"What was that Pally?" Johnny asked.

"Ye…yesss." Croaked Roy.

Johnny pushed the call button on the side of the bed.

"Okay Roy, I called for the nurse."

Roy opened his mouth again, he tried with all his might to talk, and when he finally did speak it was barely audible.

"Thank you." He whispered.

Johnny heard what his best friend; he leaned over to his friend and said, "No, thank you Pally, thank you for coming back."

"Like you…said…I wasn't done with life yet." Roy said, he got up enough strength to smile and then he rested again.

Johnny smiled and wiped the tear from his eye, everything was going to be okay.

Three weeks later

"So Roy ready to go home?" Dixie asked.

"I guess so, I'm sure gonna miss it around here." Roy said.

"Well, you can come and visit, just not as a patient you here?" Dixie smiled.

Roy laughed and nodded his head; Dixie had spent the past three weeks catering to Roy's every need and he was grateful to the head nurse.

"Thank you Dix, for everything." He said.

Dixie looked up and smiled, "I'm just doing my job…but I'm glad you're better. I don't know what I would have done with John Gage if you didn't make it." She laughed.

Just then the door opened to reveal Johnny himself.

"Well, speak of the devil." Dixie said.

"What?" Johnny said.

"Nothing, are you here to pick up our star patient?"

"Yes, m'am."

"Good, I'll go get the discharge papers." Dixie said as she left the room.

Johnny watched her go, and then turned to his partner.

"Ready?"

"You bet!"Roy said.

They began to get ready for Roy's trip to Johnny's car. Roy still had a cast on both of his legs and couldn't walk, so Johnny put a wheelchair by his bed.

"Hey Johnny, before we move, I just want to thank you for everything. You're my best friend and I know how cheesy this sounds, but this experience has made me realize how great our friendship is and how I shouldn't take it for granted. So, never again will I take our friendship for granted."

Johnny turned to his best friend and smiled, "Thanks. I don't know if you remember me saying this, but I told you I couldn't last long without you. It's true, you're my rock, and you keep me sane."

The friends smiled at each other and then started their journey home. Both glad they had each other's friendship, and they had feeling that friendship would be around for a long time.

Authors Note: Well, here it is the final chapter. For everyone who has read this, I hope you truly enjoyed it. To everyone who has given me such great feedback, thank you! I don't know when I'll write another story, but I hope you'll read them when they come along! Thanks again! HAPPY NEW YEAR!


End file.
